Daniel f



(No Model.)

D. F. DALTON.

CLASP.

N0. 378,238. Patented Feb. 21, 1888.

Nrrnn Srrrrns Parnn'r Ormes;

DANIEL F. DAL-TON, OF VVATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHAPMAN Si ARMSTRONG MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part oi' Letters Patent No. 378,238, dated February 21, 1888. Application iiled July 9, 1887. Serial No. 243,812. (N model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DiiNrnL F. BALTO-N, a citizen of the United States,residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clasps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap- IO pertains to make and use the same.

Myinvention is adapted to all of the uses to which garment-clasps are ordinarily applied-- for example, stocking-supporters, drawerssupporters, Sra-and has for its object to pro- ,5 duce a device of this class which maybe manufactured at the minimum expense, will hold the garment positively without danger of tearing, will be easy to clasp and unclasp, and will not easily get out of repair.

2O The novel features of iny invention consist in the relative construction oi" the engaging portion ol the clasp and of the guard, and their combination with each other, as hereinafter described, and as clearly pointed ont in the claims.

vWith these ends in view I have devised the simple an d novel construction of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, numbers being used to indicate the several parts.

Figure l is an elevation showing the guard raised, Fig. 2, asimilarview showing theguard pushed downthat is, in the engaging position; Fig. 3, an edge view corresponding with Fig. 2; and Fig. is a plan view of the plate from which the guard is formed.

The device consists of two parts or members only, which I shall designate as A and B.

Iart A is made of wire and is formed as fol- O lows: I denotes an eye or loop,which is formed at the center of the piece to adapt it for attachnient in use. This eye or loop may,of course, be made ol' any desired shape or size to adapt it to receive a strip of textile fabric, or to be stitched or eyeleted to a strip of fabric or to a garment. I have shown simply a loop adapted to receive a strip of textile fabric, as in the ordinary stocking-supporter, that being sufficient to illustrate the principle of my invention. 2 denotes arms connected to the eye or loop. These arms lie substantially parallel with each other, and are provided at their lower ends with hooks 3, which are adapted to be passed through the material of the garment upon which the clasp is used. 5 5

Part B, the guard, is made of sheet metal and consists of a plate, 4, having slots extending inward from opposite sides at the center, so that two pairs of tongues are formed. Both tongues of the upper pair are turned bac r- 50 ward, as shown, and curved around arms 2, forming sleeves 5, which Slide upon said arms. Both tongues of the lower pair are bent forward, as shown, and curved to form sleeves 6, which, when the guard is pushed down, as in Figs. 2 and 3, pass over points?v of hooks 3, thus holding the fold of the garment that has been engaged vfirmly in place, so that it'eannot possibly become detached, no matter how often the wearer may change position-as, for example, in getting up and sitting down, or children at play. The arms are preferably made of spring-wire, so that when the guard is raised the hooks will spring away from each other, as shown in Fig. l. The effect of this is to cause sufficient friction between sleeves 5 and the arms, so that the guard will be firmly held in any position in which it may be placed.

The operation is so simple as to hardly require description. The garment is caught by 30 the thumb and finger and the hooks are passed th rough one or more thick nesscs, which avoids all danger of tearing. The guard is then slipped down and sleeves 6 passed over the points ofthe hooks, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, 95 which renders it impossible for the clasp to become detached, no matter what changes in posit-ion may be made by the wearer.

I claim- 1. In a garment-clasp, a pair of spring-arms having hooks at their lower ends, in combination with a guard-plate provided with sleeves tting and adapted to slide upon said arms and provided withaguard portion adapted to cover the said hooks, the upper ends of the arms being formed into a T- shaped loop having a straight upper bar and projecting laterally over said guard-plate.

2.- In a garment-clasp, a pair of spring-arms having hooks at their lower ends, in combina- 10o tion with a gnardfplate, 4, slotted later-illy to and, the second pair of sleeves to inclose the form tongues which are bent, the upper pair front of the hooks, as set forth. ro toward the rear and the lower pair toward the In testimony whereof I affix my signature in front of said plate, thereby forming a pair of presence of two witnesses.

5 Sleeves surrounding and sliding upon said DANIEL F. DALTON.

arms, and a second pair of sleeves upon the NVitnesses: front face of the plate, said plate being adapted JAMES OROMPTON, to pass down behind the points of the hooks JOHN F. HOLOHAN. 

